"Do Not Be Afraid"
Matthew 17:1-9
6 February, 2005 – The Transfiguration of the Lord
the Rev. Todd R. Goddard, pastor
Zion West Walworth United Methodist Church
¹Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. ²And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." ⁵While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." ⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
Prayer.
The 50 cent word for today is "theophany."
A theophany is a word Biblical scholars use to describe a visitation from God. Our Old Testament lesson for today is a theophany, Moses with God on Sinai's peek for 40 days and 40 nights. God personally gave Moses the ten commandments. Jacob wrestling with God, in Genesis 32, and had his hip put out of joint.
Our Gospel lesson today is also a theophany, a visitation from God upon another high mountaintop; the one where Jesus had led Peter, James, and John. When God speaks, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" it should remind us of a previous theophany, one that took place a mere five weeks ago when we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord. When Jesus was baptized, as he was raised out of the water, the clouds parted, the Spirit as a dove descended and God's voice rumbled, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased."
A theophany is a direct line from God: from God's mouth to our ears. This differs from Prophecy, which is when God uses an intermediary servant, a spokesperson on God's behalf, a prophet, as we commonly know them. Prophecy is a bit less hands on; more management from a distance. But a theophany occurs when God rolls up the sleeves and decides that (old saw): 'if you want something done right, you'd better do it yourself.'
This theophany for today, which we have come to know as the transfiguration, works as an effective transition from one period of Jesus' life into another. It marks the "culminating point of His public life" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV). Baptism marked its starting point, and the Ascension its end. The period of Christ calling disciples and traveling to and fro around the region surrounding the Sea of Galilee - healing the sick, casting out demons, teaching in their synagogues, calming the waters, multiplying the loaves and fishes – this period came to an end the day Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to that mountaintop, the same mountaintop that possessed a feint memory of Sinai.
With a dazzle of white, Jesus is scrubbed clean and his face shines like the sun. The fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy was taking place before their very eyes. The new Moses had come. He wasn't going to replace the old Law with a new set of tablets; rather, he came to complement the old Law with something new, a solution to condemnation under the Law. After all, if you want something done right ... That solution is called Grace.
His direction was now changed. No longer would he linger in the north. His future lay down the road that led to the third mountain alluded to in our Gospel, the mount called Zion. Like a twisted appendage, stands Zion's wicked step-child, the hill called Golgotha. Taking leave this Wednesday, this Ash Wednesday, Jesus Christ will take 40 days – reminiscent of his 40 days of temptation in the wilderness – 40 days to fulfill his Father's will.
Or is it his will? "This is my Son." "Tell no one until ... after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
Some would suggest that the greatest theophany of all is Jesus Christ himself. God incarnate. God and man combined. God rolling up his sleeves to scrub clean the sins of the world, to suffer, and yes, to die, only to be raised from the dead three days later, and after a time, was finally whisked off into heaven in a Divine ascension.
This same Christ, God incarnate, understood the value of sharing a meal with friends. When he gathered his disciples around, much as we will soon gather around this table, Jesus promised us that whenever we gather and share bread and wine in remembrance of him, He will be present with us once again. His body and his blood will be a reoccurring theophany, a repetitive visitation of the risen and present Christ, the actual occasion for the Spirit to come and dwell among us.
Today at this table where we are celebrating the Lord's Supper, I want you to think of the word 'theophany' when you take the bread into your grasp. Consider the Divine visitation taking place when you dip the bread into the cup. Reflect upon the Holy Spirit that is with you and is in you, filling your lungs with every breath you take.
God isn't going to let you get away from Him. God has rolled up His sleeves, looked us in the eyes and decided that we are worth salvaging after all. As sure as Christ is transfigured before Peter, James and John, so too does Christ come to transfigure us, to scrub us clean and leave us dazzling white.
Come to the table, you sons of Judah. Come to the table, ye daughters of Zion. Come to the table and experience the theophany that is God with us.

The Word of the Lord. Amen.
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